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⇱ deserve - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


deserve

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/dɪˈzɜːrv/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/dɪˈzɝv/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(di zûrv)

Inflections of 'deserve' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
deserves
v 3rd person singular
deserving
v pres p
deserved
v past
deserved
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•serve /dɪˈzɜrv/USA pronunciation   v. [ not: be + ~-ing], -served, -serv•ing. 
  1. to merit, be worthy of, or have a claim to (reward, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or circumstances: [ + obj]:The teachers deserve a pay raise.[ + to + verb]:A hard worker deserves to succeed.
See -serv-1.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•serve  (di zûrv),USA pronunciation v., -served, -serv•ing. 
v.t. 
  1. to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or situation:to deserve exile;to deserve charity;a theory that deserves consideration.

v.i. 
  1. to be worthy of, qualified for, or have a claim to reward, punishment, recompense, etc.:to reward him as he deserves; an idea deserving of study.
  • Anglo-French, Old French deservir, Latin dēservīre to devote oneself to the service of, equivalent. to dē- de- + servīre to serve
  • Middle English deserven 1250–1300
de•server, n. 
    1. rate, warrant, justify.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
deserve /dɪˈzɜːv/ vb
  1. (transitive) to be entitled to or worthy of; merit
  2. (intransitive) followed by of: obsolete to be worthy
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French deservir, from Latin dēservīre to serve devotedly, from de- + servīre to servedeˈserved adj deservedness /dɪˈzɜːvɪdnɪs/ n
'deserve' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: deserve to [be, have, know, go], deserves to be [punished, rewarded, promoted], deserves the [honor, award, recognition], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "deserve" in the title:

'she doesn't deserve you to.....' ?
[deserve/be not worthy of/merit] the same death
a person who doesn't deserve... but is given...
all she deserves [deserve]
Animals <are> deserve<d to> legal...consideration
are paid less than they deserve and are not valued
ask for it/deserve it
But he would deserve all that, wouldn't he?
But they are questions I deserve answers to.
Deserve
deserve
Deserve
deserve
Deserve
deserve
deserve (a) reward vs deserve to be rewarded vs deserve rewarding
deserve + doing or to be done?
deserve + very well
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deserve a break-lucky?
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deserve justice
deserve no doubt the sternest judgments of God, even to the quenchless fire
deserve problems
"deserve rewarding" vs "deserve being rewarded"
Deserve someone better
deserve that much satisfaction
deserve that much satisfaction
Deserve the same shot
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more...

Look up "deserve" at Merriam-Webster
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